Special Circumstances
by alskfjawoieurlskjf
Summary: This is a story of a young girl - a young Special. She is on a mission to find and capture the remaining humans in the desert when the Wanderer fails and goes missing. But what happens when she falls for Jamie?
1. Chapter 1

**Something that's been going through my mind for a while...**

**This was after I read Uglies/Pretties/ Specials, and I also reread The Host. Of course, I was thinking about how Jamie should have a match, and somehow I ended up with this idea...**

**You can shoot me if it sucks. R&R! **

Chapter One

"Do you understand what your mission is?" asked Dr. Reeves.

"Yes ma'am." I grinned, showing the points of my teeth. "Piece of cake."

"Bliss, I don't want you to take any risks." She glared, her eyes looking almost as sharp as mine. "Unnecessary or not."

"Don't worry, Reeves," I said gaily. I clicked the forward button on the screen and the robot-like voice pounded through the speakers. The huge projected image on the whitewashed wall showed a picture of a desert, breathtaking with the backdrop of a pretty sunset. I knew the desert wasn't nearly as magical as it seemed—mostly, it was just the really, really hot sun on your back and the not-so-cold water in your pack.

"…The desert also hides many dangers, such as the rattlesnake, the coyotes, and even deadly vultures."

I rolled my eyes when the screen narrowed down to a hissing red snake. "Reeves, you know as well as I do that those…little toys…are no match for these." I grinned smugly and held up my hand, the three-inch long nails glinting. When I activated one of the little chips in my palm, the nails would inject poison into anything they touched. The poison was rattlesnake venom—during the operation, the doctors and surgeons had actually inserted those poison-making glands in the tip of each finger.

"Ah." Dr. Reeves brushed a lock of her pale yellow hair behind her ears. "I do like the color."

I wiggled them. "Yeah. Makeover night in the dorm." I giggled. "The shade is cha-cha-cherry."

"Interesting."

"So, boss." I tucked my nails into my palm and looked up at the screen again, which was now at a close up of a wide-eyed owl. "What do I do now?"

"Just remember the plan, Bliss." Dr. Reeves smiled at me comfortingly. She had a very pretty soul, but the smile made me feel an impulsive anger. I didn't need comfort. I was a Special.

"Get found in the desert by some human. Get locked up. Befriend them. Then betray them," I repeated in a monotone. "Hey, what will I betray them with? You got a tracker for me, or something?"

Dr. Reeves smiled wider, looking almost wolfish.

"I've got loads of things for you." She took a clear plastic box from under the table and uncovered the top.

"Exploding dental floss." Dr. Reeves tossed a small rectangle at me. I plucked it from the air easily and placed it on the placemat in front of me. "A knock-out ring." She tossed another thing at me. When I caught it, I studied it. It looked priceless, set with diamonds in a square around a knuckle-sized sapphire. "You press the sapphire and a little prick comes out. You stab someone with it and they get knocked out."

I tested it, pressing the stone. A metal thorn protruded from the front. Without a second thought, I stabbed it into my wrist. First came the shock of the nerves, the shock that made me expect more pain than there was. There wasn't even any pain. It was a faint little poke. A second later, I felt fuzzy. But not that fuzzy. I could pinpoint exactly where the toxin was spreading. I could feel when it reached my brain, probing it, but not finding a weakness. I was a Special—I couldn't get knocked out. My body was made to resist toxins, medications, and torture.

I smiled. The toxin almost tickled. "This is nice. Almost like champagne."

"Bliss! You know you aren't supposed to drink."

"Why, Reeves? Alcohol doesn't even affect me." I tested out my fangs, sliding them in and out of my gums.

"It softens your muscles."

I snorted. "What muscles? They're practically steel."

"Bliss…" Dr. Reeves looked exasperated, which was almost rare for Souls. "Here, I've got more. Lipstick that you can shoot bullets out of…a hoverboard, the special kind…"

"I'll just take the hoverboard, the floss, and the ring."

"Don't forget the earrings. I know you like pearls." Dr. Reeves slid them into my ear. "And these are the trackers. So be sure not to lose one."

Dr. Reeves handed me the hoverboard and the crash bracelets, so I stuffed the dental floss into the duffel bag that held my clothes. I slid the crash bracelets on, then tightened them so they fit more snugly. And I put the ring on my right index finger.

"Bliss." Dr. Reeves put a hand on my shoulder and stared into my eyes. "You have to be careful. You're dealing with humans."

"Don't worry, Boss." I grinned and put a hand to my forehead in a salute. "I'm a Special, remember?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I could sense the danger, lurking near, coming closer.

So I sat down on a large, flat rock and waited. I was almost eager to confront something, eager to use my keen senses at last. Trudging through a desert all day, in broad daylight, was hardly a challenge.

When it came, I was disappointed. A coyote. I elongated my fangs and hissed. He made the same face back at me until I pressed the ring and slid it off my finger. The coyote looked at it curiously. I threw without aiming and hit it perfectly—the skill of a Special. He whimpered a bit and shook his head, trying to dislodge the little stinger from his throat. His attempts grew weaker with each second as the toxin spread through his body, before finally collapsing on the red dirt. I didn't even crack a smile. This was so boring.

I retrieved my ring, got on my hoverboard, and went along the path, trying to seem tired and on the verge of unconsciousness, in case there were any cameras that the humans had installed.

In order to pass the time, I imagined and mimed that I was a pathetic human, trudging and dragging my feet through the sand and panting over exaggeratedly. I took sloppy drinks of the one water bottle I had, and at night I laid out in the open, daring any creature to come near.

I giggled hysterically to myself sometimes, the heat finally getting to me. My steps became uneven and I toppled over more than once. My water was gone. Even though I was programmed to live without food and water, the water I was missing was weakening my senses. I couldn't bear to eat any of my gritty granola bars without any liquid to wash it down my dry throat.

It had been almost a week now, and no humans had even tried to rescue me. Did they know I was a Special? Did they have a spy in our carefully reconstructed society?

One day, at night, I was fast asleep in the open, my things strewn around me, when rough hands grasped my shoulders. They sat me up, against something, and tipped my chin up. I felt water streaming down my throat, my tongue tasting it carefully and checking if it had any medications or poisons in it. There wasn't, so I gulped it up, heaving my chest exaggeratedly. Then I pushed it away, sitting up sloppily.

I tried to act groggy, narrowing my eyes to slits and yawning. The two humans—both males—traded furtive glances with each other. I rubbed my eyes, elongating my poisonous fangs behind my relaxed, closed lips.

"Hold still," one said gruffly. He had his black hair in a buzz cut. His nose was slightly off center. My careful eyes traced the uneven cartilage structure. He held on to my shoulder and shone the flashlight into my eyes.

He looked puzzled. His partner, who was looking through my stuff, for trackers or weapons, looked up. "Kyle, something wrong?"

"No, it's just…this one has…_gems_ set into her eyes?"

"Yeah, those." I flashed a smile at him, trying to seem harmless and pretty, just a typical soul. "They're the newest surge. It's awesome."

Kyle raised an eyebrow at his partner. "Jared, I think this one's fine. Let's bring her back."

"Can you stand by yourself?" Jared asked me.

"Yeah, thanks." I rose from the sandy ground on shaky legs, only half faked.

They flanked me on the way home, Jared walking ahead of me and Kyle following behind. I flexed my fingers impatiently, flicking the little stinger in and out. I could feel my strength returning as we walked closer to the caves. As we did, I pressed the chip in my palm that activated my night vision. There was no way I'd be ambushed in the shadowy corners of their little hiding holes.

When we reached it, Jared called out, "Jeb! We've got a new recruit!" His voice echoed noisily and soon a whole group of people gathered around us, in a tight, protective circle. Jared and Kyle went to join tem on the perimeter, leaving me in the center, supposedly defenseless. Yet if only they knew…


End file.
